5 Reasons Why Hula is Fabulous for Fitness

"I've lost 5 pounds in 3 weeks, and the only thing I've done is taken hula classes!", "The waistband of my jeans is getting looser!", and "Yeah, one more tahitian ote'a! I can take it! Woohoo!"

Okay, maybe that last one was a bit of an exaggeration - most of my students considered the ote'a a form of torture - but hula fitness stories really are quite common, and as a hula instructor & dancer, I've heard and witnessed many of them. In fact, I credit my hula & tahitian practice with my own weight loss in 2006.

Even Flare Magazine considered hula dance enough of a great workout to feature it - along with an interview with me as their hula expert - for their September 2005 Issue article Shall We Dance: Wake up your workout...!

Yes, the hula is much more than a pleasure to watch. Don't let the gentle, fluid movements deceive you. It truly is a killer workout!

Here are 5 reasons why your health could benefit from 20 minutes of daily island dance:

1: It builds beautiful lean muscles.
A common complaint from my new students after the first class is "My muscles were SO sore after that class!" Yes, it takes muscles to move those arms and hands to tell a story! You will feel soreness in the upper arms (deltoids), and depending on how deeply you bend your knees for each kaholo (the popular basic side-to-side traveling hula movement), you'll also give your lower body a blast.

2: It packs a great cardiovascular punch.
My dancers are always amazed at how out-of-breath they are after a 30 minute show! Make your own half hour hula dance CD and burn 119 calories every workout...
double that if you mix in some short blasts of fast tahitian ote'a (each song is about 1.5 minutes of intense hip shakes).
And you get that all without the joint-jarring common with other high-impact workouts.
For my own workout, I created a high-intensity interval training hula CD for myself by putting in an ote'a song after every 2 hula songs. Just 20 minutes of that, and I'm done!

3: It's a weight-bearing, bone-building activity.
The continual kaholo is just like walking, and one of the many health benefits of walking is its ability to turn around rapid bone loss that occurs in menopausal women.

4: It helps build grace and coordination.
Whether you're an experienced dancer or dance like Elaine, you should always start your hula education at the beginner level. Why? Because the hula makes you use muscles that most likely have never been used in combination before. Many of us call it waking your hula muscles.
With every part of your body doing something different, many times in opposite directions, you'll find your coordination and balance challenged and strengthened.

5: It's fun!
Your hula workout can be as varied as the numerous hula songs out there! Mixing it up with tahitian numbers, dancing with friends, and even performing for loved ones offers options that can make your hula workout unique every time!

Wanna try?

1st Post-Virus Workout Results: "My Bum Hurts!"

Photo: Not Nenette's Bum

I stopped doing any kind of workout ever since my cleanse was cut short by the flu. I am seriously not Type-A when it comes to my workouts, so I just won't push myself into exercising if I'm sick. (No one should! So those of you out there who think you can wheeze and hack your way through a workout, think again... you're not doing yourself, or your fellow gym members, any favours.) And according to my doctor, I was sick during my cleanse too, so I wasn't doing myself any favours with such a strict regimen.

So, now that I'm better - oh, please, let me be really better this time! - I finally did my first post-flu workout yesterday. Five squats. I decided to take it slow. I do full squats - "ass to the grass" as they say - to strengthen my knees. Clutching onto the diningroom table for support, I listened to my knees pop and creak as I completed each rep. Wow, they really need strengthening!

But really, that's not the big problem. My knees don't hurt... My bum does! I don't have much going on back there. I have one of those tiny, flat, box-shaped Asian bums that only get perky if I'm consistent with my squats. So, now I'm working my way back to back, and it hurts! Every step makes me painfully aware that I have butt muscles. I had no idea we used them for so many movements. Huh.

So, now we're back to the "bump & grind", as I like to say. ;)
It'll get better, right?

How I Burn Fat in 4 Minutes

Photo: istockphoto

I really don't like exercising. And I still try to find every excuse to not do it. "I have a headache... I have to wash the toilet... The kids are awake... The cat needs a bath..."

But to realize my goal of 24% bodyfat, I knew I had to get moving. Eating clean and healthy alone won't cut it. Exercise is needed to build bone density, sculpt and maintain muscle, and of course, burn fat, among other things. And without it, any benefits of any healthy diet will stall. This, I know from experience.

But not just any exercise program would do if I wanted to be successful. I had to design one that fit my lifestyle and preferences...

(1) short - My morning yoga and occasional hula practices get interrupted often by the kids because they take more than the 10 minutes needed to feel any benefits.
(2) something I can do at home - Getting dressed and traveling all the way to a gym takes too much time, effort and money.
(3) something that doesn't need equipment - I like mat work... I hate weights and machines.

And I want a million dollars!!! Yeah, tall order... :)

But according to the Tabata Method, it's not.

The Tabata Method is the 4-minute HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout named after Dr. Izumi Tabata at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Tabata's group found that these short intervals of hard exercise followed by rest are highly effective in strengthening aerobic functions and burning fat without compromising lean muscle.
Here's how it works:

(1) 20 seconds: Perform an exercise for as many reps as possible - but don't be sloppy... always use proper form!
(2) 10 seconds: Rest
(3) Repeat steps (1) and (2) again 7 more times.

Done right, this workout should leave you huffing and puffing and covered in sweat.
Please note that this is a very intense 4 minutes. Dr. Tabata - and I - stress that this type of exercise is not for the obese or for those with existing health problems, so see your healthcare professional before starting this or any other exercise program.

One of my most favourite things about this workout is that it's highly customizable. Here's mine:
Interval 1 - pushups (chest and arms)
Interval 2 - squats (legs)
Interval 3 - v-sit rotations (abdominals)
Interval 4 - breast stroke prep (back)
... then I repeat the entire cycle once. At the moment, I do this workout once a week... I really need the recovery time between!

If you want to try this out and customize your own routine, be sure to do your research as not all exercises are suited for Tabata.

Recommended Reading:

Workout Without Weights

Tabata Workout is an Intense and Effective Exercise Routine

10 Tunes That Get Me Moving

"Senatus Populuseque Romanum;

This is your destiny...
Civilize and Order the World..."
~ Lyrics by J. Feldschmid, guitarist, The Contrast (1986)

I played bass guitar and sang backup in a new wave rock band called The Contrast.
My candy-apple red bass was almost as tall as me - I was a tiny little thing in my late teens - but I played it like an old pro. Whether it was a gig or rehearsals, I was popping, slapping and dancing. I brought the funk element to the group, and I loved it.
We wrote our own songs, a sampling of which you just read at the top of this post, and also covered songs by groups like The Cars, Simple Minds, and U2, back when they were still considered "alternative".

Music was my world back then. I almost ditched engineering school for rock stardom... a fact that would've given my parents palpitations had they know how close a decision that was.

The 80s was a glorious time in music. Pop, new wave, metal, rock, rap, punk, and even disco (no matter how much we denied it) were all well-represented and enjoyed by their different factions. And video gave everyone a new way to enjoy these different sounds. It was a time for trying new things, and kids rebelled not with bare-midriffs and guns, but with big hair and neon lipstick.

I was such a music snob back then. If it wasn't new wave, British, alternative, or some combination of the three, it was crap. Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Devo, The Police, Howard Jones, Simple Minds, Alphaville, and Strange Advance could do no wrong... Remember them? These groups were always on my walkman! And the dancier the better... I definitely preferred the tunes that made me want to get up and dance.

Fast forward 20 years. My tastes have changed considerably, and now, as I simplify my music collection, I am stunned by the range of styles that joind my 80s favourites.
I found Santana, No Doubt, Aretha Franklin, Sade, and Black Eyed Peas. All good. Then there's Color Me Badd and Right Said Fred. What was I thinking?!

But the songs I still gravitated toward were dance tunes. That was the common denominator.

I've rifled through my shrinking collection for 10 tunes for a songlist for workouts or dancing to while I fix dinner. Keeping it to 10 was hard... maybe I'll make a second list soon.
Here are my first 10 in no special order...

1: Crazy in Love - Beyonce featuring Jay-Z
2: Hips Don't Lie - Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean
3: Into the Groove - Madonna (This was a hard choice... I wanted to add a lot of Madonna tunes...)
4: Pump It - Black Eyed Peas
5: Groove is in the Heart - Dee Lite
6: Shake your groove thing - Peaches & Herb
7: Hot in Herre - Nelly
8: Spybreak! - Propellerheads
9: Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - The Police
10: Wait a Minute - Pussy Cat Dolls featuring Timbaland

2 special mentions:
1: Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf
2: Yo (Reggae Mix) - Chris Brown

Anything else I should add?

Raging Body Fat and a Broken Scale

[Note: This post contains some math which may be frightening to some readers. Reader discretion is advised. Unless you like math. Like me.]

I learned a couple of really disturbing things last week... I have 36% body fat, and my scale is off by 5 pounds.
Obviously, the body fat issue is the more serious problem, but I'm really quite distressed by my scale. I actually feel betrayed. I'm not really 121lbs, but 126lbs. Now, my next step is to decide what's more annoying, shelling over the extra $ for a new scale or adding 5lbs every time I weight myself.

Onward to the real trouble...

Yup, 36% of my body is fat... and you wouldn't know it just by looking at me. At 5'4" and 126lbs with a small-boned strawberry-shaped frame, it's very easy for me to camouflage any extra bulk.

And boy, have I ever added extra bulk... and in such a short amount of time at that!

Since October 1st, the day after my 20-year high school reunion weekend, I've not respected my Temple as I should. Not only have I not been CR-ing (reducing my calories), I've not been ON-ing (selecting nutrient-packed foods). Waffles with cream cheese, pasta with oily cheesy pesto sauce, and creamy cheesecake have passed my lips in quantities that would make a sumo rikishi faint.

So, have I hit rock bottom? With bad cholesterol levels and torso fat, this better be the lowest I go, because any lower and I'd be a walking heart attack. Heck, I could be a walking heart attack as we speak.

I know what I need to do. I've done it before. And thanks to the nature of CRON, everything I ate and did is well-documented. I just have to look at my records from last year when I was doing full-on CRON, and do that again... 1200-1500 calories, lots of fruits & veg, soups, lean proteins (mainly fish), fibre, water, green tea, calisthenics, yoga and hula. The good stuff.

I suspect I can lose a great deal without jeopardizing my health as long as I lose just fat, and to ensure that, I have to build/maintain lean muscle.

So, let's figure out what my goal weight could realistically be... (Hang on tight, here comes the math!)

According to the American Council on Exercise (couldn't find anything for Canada, except some beef cattle bodyfat tables... uh, no thanks...), healthy fit women should have about 21-24% body fat. So I need to go from 36% bodyfat to 24% bodyfat.

At 126lbs, I have...

126 x .36 = 45.36, or rounding down, 45 lbs of fat

which means I have ...

126 - 45 = 81 lbs of lean muscle mass

Now, if I want to decrease to 24% body fat but maintain the existing 81 lbs of lean mass...

36% - 24% = 12% fat
or
126 x .12 = 15.12 lbs of fat must be lost

So, the goal weight is (assuming my lean muscle stays at 81 lbs)...

126 - 15 = 111 lbs

Just in case my lean muscle goes up, I'll check my body fat again at 115-118 lbs... or 110-113 lbs on my traitorous scale.

Okay, that's all the math I needed to do. It's best that I stop now anyway. My roomie already called me a nerd for doing math on my blog in the first place.

Alright, this begins tomorrow... actually, it already started at lunch today... :)
Wish me luck!

Omentum Momentum: A Progress Report

I work hard to protect my temple. I avoid smoke, alcohol, and stress. I limit bad fats, carbs, and sweets... except dark chocolate. (Hey, the temple is sacred, not crazy!)

But as you all know, earlier this year, the temple let down its defenses and all sorts of riffraff came in. I gained 10lbs, my cholesterol shot up, and my omentum ballooned.

"What's an omentum?" you ask... well, at the risk of inciting the wrath of medical professionals worldwide (or at least the 1 or 2 that read my humble blog) with my inaccuracy, I've condensed the technical description to 3 words: belly fat bag. And it hangs in front of the abdomen. The omentum's job is to support the internal organs, supplying blood and fat.

When you're fit and healthy, your omentum is thin allowing you to see the abdominal muscles underneath.
Not sure what that looks like? Go and watch the movie '300'.
Oh, you already know what that looks like? Go and watch '300' anyway. Go on. I'll wait...

Okay, welcome back...
Gerry, David, and the Spartan gang have wafer thin omentums, and they aren't holding it all in... You can't suck in a big omentum.

Now a bad omentum is big and full of fat (think beer belly) and that fat increases your risk of heart disease. So, how big is bad?
According to the doctors who wrote You: On A Diet, women with a waistline larger than 36 inches (measured at the bellybutton) are in the danger zone.

At my worst, I was at 38.5 inches. I looked like I was pregnant again, and I kinda felt like it too. Tired, lethargic, swollen hands and feet... ick. And I was most thankful for the baby-doll trend that well-camouflaged my ample belly in the spring/summer!

Fast forward 6 months later, the temple is back on track and well-fortified. I'm now eating right again and exercising regularly, doing 30 minutes of hula every day with push ups and squats 3 times a week.
And I'm back on the stop-eating-crap diet, not tracking calories, but listening to my body and practicing hara hachi bu, a healthy Okinawan habit which means 'eat only until 80% full'.

Still need more work, but I'm feeling much better now and looking a little better in my hula sarong... the Spartans would be proud :)

My Bloodwork: The Verdict is In

At 8:50 this morning, I found myself sitting in my doctor's waiting room reading my latest favourite smutty romance book. I'd left my sleepy "night owl" husband to the mercy of our energetic "morning people" kids, and went to see Dr.A. to find out the results of my bloodwork.

Good news: My B12, sugar, and cellcounts are all at excellent levels.

Bad news: Cholesterol is at 5.3 (or 205.1), with an LDL of 3.5 (or 135.5). Borderline, which is what I'd suspected all along. My middle has gotten rather large, and on a strawberry shaped woman, that's not a good thing and a sure sign of questionable cholesterol.

My doctor then started to suggest what I should do, how to eat, etc., all of which amounted to "Less carbs and more exercise".

Now, I know what to do - it's just a matter of actually doing it.

Yes, I love my hula dance practice, but I haven't gotten around to it much. So, this is high priority for me now. Plus, I've made plans with a girlfriend of mine to start stroller-walking with her 3 times a week.

CRON has improved my overall health. Of that, I'm sure. And it's gotten my weight down to 120lbs as of late. However, that makes me wonder how bad my health was in January when I'd packed on that extra weight.

Well, now that I know what I have to work with, and a new schedule in which to it, I'm excited to start!

Graceful as an Orchid - Strong as a Tsunami

Thanks to all for the warm welcome to CR "blogoland"! I've been reading all of your blogs and can't help but feel honoured to join a very special group of people.

Okay, onward. April's enthusiastic comment to yesterday's post had me thinking more about my hula practice and why I love it so much.
I started hula 'auana (modern hula) at the age of 6, and with the exception of a few years in my teens (when I played bass guitar in a new wave band -- seriously), I've been dancing ever since. When my husband (then boyfriend) got a job on the Big Island, I had the rare pleasure of living as a "local", meeting some exceptional people, and learning just why the hula is called the lifeblood and heartbeat of the Hawaiian People.
Like most cultural dances, the hula tells stories of daily life and legend, everything important to a very earthy people. I've performed dances that emote the sensuality of lovers, the raw power of warriors, and the innocence and playfulness of children. And expressing these feelings is always physically challenging.

But I think what I love the most about the hula is that it's natural, earthy, and makes one very aware of the body. And that's how I approach health, fitness and CR. It all ties in very easily, beautifully, and naturally.

I wish I could get together with all of you and teach you a few hula moves. It really is a lot of fun! :)
I do urge you all to take a hula class. They're EVERYWHERE! To see if there's a halau hula (hula school) in your town, check out: http://www.mele.com/resources/hula.html

Off to eat my egg...

A Good Place To Start

Welcome to my blog!

I'm a hula & tahitian dancer/instructor, CRON-enthusiast, writer, former engineer, sushi & green tea fanatic.
I was born in 1969 (feel free to do the math), originally from the beautiful islands of the Philippines. Just shy of my 4th birthday, my family and I moved to Canada where -- with the exception of a brief stint in Hawaii -- I still live today.

I started CRON on February 8th, 2006, and at 5'4", I try to maintain a weight of 110-115lbs, my weight during my early 20s. I practice a relatively moderate form of CRON, the easiest form for me to practice right now as I cook for 3 non-CRONies.
For exercise, I dance hula and tahitian ote'a for cardio, balance and muscle control. I've been practicing yoga and pilates off and on since 2001... having kids between 2002 and 2004 kinda put a halt to those activities. :)

I've finally gotten off my butt to start blogging about my road to health, wellness, and long life via CRON, natural movement, and proper relaxation/rejuvenation.

That's pretty much it. I hope you enjoy reading about my journey as much as I enjoy writing about it.

Thanks for visiting!